Commuters: Peak use shoulder lane to open to northbound I-405 traffic on Monday

I-405 commuters from south Snohomish County can expect a little more room on their way home starting on Monday, April 24.

The shoulder will open to northbound traffic for the 1.8 mile stretch between SR 527 and the I-5 interchange in Lynnwood for the first time at 2 p.m. The shoulder will only be open to northbound traffic and only during peak times, as indicated by an overhead sign.

Four emergency pullouts have been added to the stretch of I-405, in case someone needs to pull over while the shoulder is being used as a peak-use lane.

The peak-use shoulder lane will be available on northbound I-405 between SR 527 and I-5 in Lynnwood. (Map courtesy WSDOT)

Weekday afternoons are considered peak times for northbound I-405. If the lane is open, the overhead sign will show a green arrow pointing down. A red ‘X’ will be used to indicate if the lane is closed. A yellow arrow will indicate merge if pointing slightly left, or caution if pointing down.

While the lane is expected to stay open during the evening commute, it may close in the case of an emergency. The closure would be indicated on the overhead signs.

This is the first project on I-405 to be funded by express toll lane revenue.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) added the lane there in an attempt to reduce traffic in that area. It is considered a bottleneck due to there only being three lanes, as well as the rapid growth the south Snohomish County region has been experiencing, according to a blog post by WSDOT.

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